Fall Fruit Tree Planting!
Fall planting in Kansas City, Kansas
The air is beginning to feel crisp. The leaves are changing ever so slightly. We enjoy the last vestiges of summer’s bounty and the verdant green of the fall gardens. For the Giving Grove little orchards, this can only mean one thing: it’s time for fall planting!
Fall plantings are a great time to get children involved at a little orchard.
There are two ideal times for planting new fruit trees: the spring and the fall. Because of COVID-19, very few trees were planted in the spring. Thankfully, with the help of face masks and social distancing, we will plant most of those orchards in the coming weeks. There are a couple of great reasons why planting in the fall is ideal:
Transpiration, the giving off of moisture, can impair a new tree’s performance and require more frequent watering. Cooler temperatures and little or no foliage on the trees means far less transpiration.
Planting in the fall gives the tree’s roots time to settle in and be prepared to awaken with nature in the spring.
While planting new fruit trees might require a few strong hands, the process itself is not very difficult. You can find detailed written instructions here or an instructional video here for planting a bare root tree. If you are planting a potted tree, reference these detailed instructions. Make sure you have a few friends and volunteers. You will need at least three people, but as they say, more hands makes lighter (and more fun) work.
Before your planting day, your Giving Grove representative will visit your site and determine the best areas to plant your trees. Once you know where your trees will be planted, call 811 at least one week in advance to ensure there are no underground wires and cables. Once it is safe to dig, collect your tools and volunteers and start planting!
If this is your first orchard to plant, we are so thrilled for you! While it might seem like a good deal of labor, the connection with nature and neighbor can not be replicated. Most walk away from a day of planting feeling almost spiritual, for the planting of a tree today is the promise of thousands of servings of food for your community tomorrow. Your new little orchards will make a big impact!
Take a minute to enjoy these photos from previous orchard plantings:
